


Chasing Dreams

by prxnxykxi



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No YouTube, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Minor Angst, More tags to be added?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-10-25 13:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10765287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prxnxykxi/pseuds/prxnxykxi
Summary: Update: I might abandon this work. If you have any desire to take it over, you can email me at nepstri666@gmail.com or comment on the work.Thanks!~Kai





	1. Prologue

The first time Dan had the dream, he was five, and had been sobbing all night because his best friend had just moved away. His mum and dad tried everything to get him to stop, offered ice cream, a puppy, a new toy, everything. 

 

Still, he hid himself in a pile of sheets and cried, until he couldn’t cry anymore. He let himself fall asleep after that. 

 

Then he was floating. Everything was white, and he was floating. Below him, he could see something that of a field. He let himself float for a bit, the small breeze pushing him downward. 

 

Soon enough, his bare feet landed on the soft grass, and he looked around, taking in his surroundings. The park was wide open, littered with trees and bushes. In front of him was a small swing set, where a boy with black hair sat, rocking back and forth slowly. 

 

Dan stepped closer, examining the boy. “Excuse me?” his voice sounded deeper somehow.

 

The boy turned, confused at first, but then he grinned. “Hi!”

 

Dan felt a small lump form in his throat at the sound of the boy’s voice. “Um, hi. Where am I?”

 

“A park.” the boy stated. 

 

Dan smiled, rolling his eyes playfully at the boy, who continued to sit and stare. “Who are you?” Dan asked after a moment. 

 

“I’m-” the boy wasn’t able to finish his sentence before Dan was falling, the park and boy himself disappearing. 

 

When Dan woke up, he ran to his parents, telling them about the dream. They said it was just a dream, that it had no significance. Dan didn’t bring it up again. 

 

*******

 

The second time Dan had the dream, he was twelve and lying on his back in bed, listening to his parents bicker for the third time that week. He wasn’t sure what had started it, but he hoped it would pass. He just had to wait it out. 

 

The voices faded, though they were there. This meant they’d finally moved to the kitchen, furthest from Dan’s room. He squeezed his eyes shut and yanking the covers over his head, letting himself fall asleep. 

 

He returned to his floating state. He remembered this, vaguely. Below him, sat the boy, this time sitting on a bench near the curb, obviously waiting for a bus. Dan smiled, watching as the ground came closer. 

 

“Hey!” he said, waving at the boy like he was an old friend. His features though, they looked more faded, almost like Dan couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like. 

 

The boy turned, blue eyes flickering up to Dan. “Oh, hi!” he replied with a smile, though it was a bit forced. 

 

Dan sat beside the boy, looking at him. “Do you remember me?” he asked. 

 

“Of course I do. I never forgot you.” the boy said like Dan had asked what colour the sky was. 

 

“I remember you.” Dan said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about this. Mum and Dad thought I was just being a kid.” 

 

The boy chuckled, staring at Dan fondly. “It doesn’t matter what they think.” 

 

Dan shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”

 

The boy said nothing in response to this, just continued to stare at Dan until the shouting from somewhere above found its way to his ears. “Who’s that?” he asked. 

 

“My parents. Things are bad.” Dan shrugged. He felt his surroundings start to dissolve. 

 

The boy in front of him began to disappear, his body becoming translucent.

 

“Wait, wait, don’t go!” Dan begged. 

 

“Don’t worry! You’ll see me again!” the boy called, his voice echoing in Dan’s ears as he fell. 

 

He shot up in his bed, looking around. The sun crept into his room, and he smiled. He would see the boy again. 

 

*******

 

The last time Dan had the dream, he was eighteen, ready to move out of the house. His father had been gone on some business trip for quite some time, and his mother was working most of the time. They could barely keep themselves afloat, let alone Dan, so he’d bought a flat near the city. 

 

He flopped down on the mattress resting on the floor, being used as his bed until he could get on his feet. His eyes drifted shut as he fell asleep, worry riddling his thoughts. 

 

But, again, he was floating. Eagerly, he looked down to see where he might be this time. He saw the boy, looking more mature now, standing outside a small bookstore, looking around like he was waiting for someone. Again, he looked more faded, almost a blur. 

 

Dan grinned as he found himself beside the boy. “You’re back.”

 

“I told you you’d see me again.” the boy responded, his voice hollow and echoing. 

 

“It’s been a long time.” Dan replied, watching the boy as he shifted to look at Dan properly. 

 

The boy nodded. “It has.” 

 

They stood in silence for a few moments before Dan spoke again. “I never got to know your name.” 

 

The boy grinned the best he could. “In due time.” he said quietly. 

 

“But I want to know now.” Dan sighed. 

 

“In due time.” repeated the boy as he took Dan’s hand. The touch was cold, but somewhat comforting. “Don’t worry, please. Everything will make sense soon.” 

 

Dan nodded moving closer to the boy. When he stepped, though, he found himself in a sudden drop, screaming as he fell into the abyss. He looked up at the boy, but he wasn’t there anymore. 

  
Dan woke up with a shout, sweating and shaking. He took a few breaths to calm himself, deciding, once more, to trust his dream.


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan is a bean whose best friend is an old guy. 
> 
> Dan is good with children.
> 
> Phil is salty at Dan.
> 
> Dan represses sass.
> 
> Authour is proud of this chapter.
> 
> Chapter is not shit.

Working at the bookstore wasn’t ideal. The owner, Mr. Barlow was never around, leaving Dan and his lazy coworker Felix to pick up after the customers. No, rewind. Leaving Dan to clean up after the customers while Felix lounged behind the register with his daily selection of book. Often times it was one off the taller shelves, which meant Dan had to get it for him. Aside from Felix, Dan absolutely hated days like this. Rainy, but not rainy enough that people would stay inside. Why? Because there was almost always a mother who thought it would be a good idea to bring her three screaming children - all under the age of eight - into the shoppe.

 

But aside from that, the job wasn’t the worst thing in the world. When Mr. Barlow _was_ around, he was a nice person and often gave Felix a hard time about his lack of commitment to the job. Dan was surprised he hadn’t been sacked yet.

 

No, Dan liked his job. He liked working in the shoppe because it always smelled of old books, which was one of Dan’s favourite smells anyway. Most of the time it was fairly dead, because people often opted for going to newer stores with better lighting and newer books. Dan practically scoffed at the thought of going to one. He never really liked new bookstores. They were loud, and too bright and their book selections were terrible. It was always something along the lines of 50 Shades Of Grey, Twilight and a fuck ton of historical romance novels by some authour named Julia Quinn. Dan tried to read one called Romancing Mister Bridgerton and nearly sicked all over the pages due to its awful writing.

 

*******

 

“Daniel, my boy!” called Mr. Barlow as he made his way over to Dan, fast as his little old legs could take him.

 

“Hi, Mr. B.!” Dan replied with a small wave and a smile. His elbows rested on the counter, eyes pulling away from the four year old that was trying her damnedest to grab a book from one of the shelves. He would’ve walked over to help had it not been for the fact that he was six-foot-three. She’d probably run screaming in the other direction.

 

“How are things in here? Going well, I presume?” Mr. Barlow asked with a small chuckle.

 

“I sure hope that’s what you would call this. Felix said he can’t come in today. Girlfriend’s birthday.” Dan explained, straightening his posture.

 

Mr. Barlow chuckled, the crows feet that were always at the corners of his eyes somehow growing. “I’m sure you’re doing just fine, Daniel.”

 

“Mr. B., I told you, just call me Dan.” Dan insisted, his smile growing wider.

 

“Forgive me, _Dan_ , I am an old man after all.”

 

Dan laughed. “You’re not that old.”

 

Mr. Barlow chuckled again, his breath whistling through the gap in his front teeth. “Well, I’ll see you when shift is over, Dan.”

 

“See you then, Mr. B.” Dan said and waved to the man as he hobbled into the back of the shoppe. The store room, slash Mr. Barlow’s office.

 

Dan’s attention was brought back to the little girl when she waddled up to the front desk, asking, very sweetly, “book?”.

 

Dan smiled down at her and nodded. “Where’s your book?”

 

The girl pointed to a shelf nearly three heads taller than her and looked up at Dan, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “Can’t reach.”

 

Dan chuckled and took the girl’s hand, taking her back to the shelf. “Which one?” he asked as he scooped her into his arms, holding her so that she could see the books. She giggled and let out a tiny squeal, reaching for one of the books. Charlotte’s Web.

 

Dan held her out, making sure to keep a secure grip as she grabbed the book from the shelf. “Okay!” she exclaimed once she held the book tightly in her arms. Dan let her down, and she scampered off to her mother, holding the book out expectantly.

 

Dan pushed his hands into his pockets, watching the two. He hadn’t noticed Felix and Marzia walk in until they made themselves known. “Danny-boy!” Felix exclaimed, his Swedish accent hiding behind his words.

 

“Felix.” Dan turned to them with a grin. “And Marzia. And…” Dan trailed off, his eyes landing on the person that stood behind Marzia and Felix. He was tall - not taller than Dan, though - with black fringe swept to the left and wide, blue eyes. He wore a blue plaid button up and black skinny jeans.

 

But that’s not what caught Dan by surprise. What caught him off guard was that he’d seen this boy before. Dan remembered, vaguely, sitting with him on the bus stop bench.

 

“Hi, I’m Phil Lester.” said the boy, holding his hand out for Dan to shake.

 

Dan snapped from his daze and took Phil’s hand quickly, shaking it rather harshly. “Daniel. Daniel Howell. But, um, just call me Dan. My friends call me Dan. So, yeah, yeah, call me Dan.” Yes, Dan definitely recognised that voice. The memories from his dreams came flooding back to him.

 

“Nice...to meet you, Daniel.” Phil replied, taking his hand back slowly. Dan noticed the subtle way Phil wiped his hand off on his jeans, a slightly disgusted look flickering over his face.

 

Dan’s heart sank, but he kept up his normal stature. “I thought you weren’t coming in today, Felix.”

 

“Oh, I’m not here for work. Marzia wanted to stop by, introduce Phil, maybe get a book or two. You know her.” Felix explained with a small smirk.

 

“Oh! Marzia, by the way, happy birthday.” Dan said quickly after Felix finished his explanation.

 

“Thank you, Dan!” Marzia grinned and hugged Dan, squeezing around his middle before letting go. “I’m gonna go browse. Felix, come with me.” she continued, tugging on her boyfriend’s hand.

 

Felix chuckled and waved to Dan and Phil before stumbling after his excited girlfriend. Dan turned to Phil once they were gone. “Hey.”

 

Phil gave Dan a once-over and put on his best ‘yes, I can tolerate you’ smile. “Hi.” he said dully.

 

Dan swallowed thickly, continuing on with his politeness. “So...how do you know Marzia and Felix?”

 

“Met Marzia at University. Know Felix by association.” Phil replied.

 

“Oh, neat.” Dan paused, letting them stand in awkward silence for a moment before speaking again. “You like books? Like, old books? Or are you more of a movie kind of guy?”

 

Phil let out an overly exasperated sigh. “Books are nice, I guess. I don’t really like places like this. They creep me out. And the employees,” Phil shot a look to Dan, “are overly friendly most of the time. Really, it’s kinda stupid.” he said with a roll of his eyes.

 

Dan bit the inside of his cheek, repressing the sassy response building inside his throat. “Oh. In that case, what kind of books do you like to read?”

 

Phil sighed again, making it more dramatic as to imply that, yes, he likes books, and, no, Dan may not have his number. “Sci-fi. Action. Adventure. Romance, I guess.”

 

Dan’s smile switched from genuine to the one he used when helping a particularly annoying customer. “Well then, sci-fi is over there, action/adventure is over there, and romance is over there.” he said, pointing to each section respectively before turning on his heel and heading off to help the mother and her children.

 

He rang up the few books they’d collected, one of which being Charlotte’s Web, and bagged them.

 

“Have a nice day.” he said dully. He then turned to the girl and smiled sweetly at her. “Come back any time.”

 

The girl giggled and nodded, taking her mum’s hand as they left the shoppe. Dan rested his elbows on the counter, resting his head in his palm and taking on a bored expression. Phil had gone to join Felix and Marzia, so he was left alone with his thoughts.

 

After a few minutes of just standing around, he sighed and straightened out. “Felix, can you watch the front? Come get me if someone comes in. I’m going to the back.”

 

Felix nodded and sent a thumbs up to Dan as he walked into the storeroom, glancing over to where Mr. Barlow sat at his desk, repairing one of the many books tearing at the seams. He had a small chat with the man for a while before finally deciding that he ought to go back out to the store.

 

Well, Mr. Barlow told him to go out. Dan obeyed.

 

When he got there, the store was completely empty, save for himself and the shelves of books. Then again, books don’t really count as people. Finally, he was alone.

 

Dan returned to his station at the register, looking down at the yellow sticky note that had definitely not been there before. He picked it up and read over the writing.

 

‘Dan, party at PJ’s house tonight, don’t miss it -Pewds’

 

Dan rolled his eyes at the signature. He really hated it when Felix used his stupid nickname from _grade school._ Still, he would attend the party. It was sure to be small, unless PJ and Chris had friends they weren’t telling him about.

  
He just hoped that Phil wouldn’t be there. And, if he was, he wouldn’t be a salty ass hoe toward him.

 


	3. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> authour is lazy
> 
> chapter is less shit than normal

Two shirts lay in front of Dan, the water still in his hair dripping into the fabric as he leaned over them. He groaned quietly, closing his eyes, waving his hand over them and stopping. When he opened his eyes, he nodded. Yeah, this shirt would be fine. Black. Like his soul.

 

As soon as he had the shirt on, he snatched up his key and his phone before heading for the door, sending a glance back into his flat as he let the door slam shut behind him.

 

*******

 

“Dan! Glad you made it!” PJ exclaimed when Dan stepped through the door, his hands shoved into his pockets. 

 

“Uh...yeah. I’m here, I’m queer and all that jazz, where’s the beer?” Dan asked quickly, waving off PJ’s smile. 

 

“Over there,” PJ waved to the open cooler, “Why?”

 

“Phil Lester is going to be here isn’t he?” Dan raised a brow.

 

“Yeah. Already is actually.” PJ nodded.

 

Dan grinned sarcastically. “Good. All the more reason to drink.” 

 

PJ frowned, brows furrowing as Dan strode to the cooler, grabbing a beer quickly. He opened it, took a long drink and glanced around, finding Phil standing near the couch with Chris and Felix. He took a breath and joined them.

 

“Hey, Felix. Chris. Phil.” Dan waved with his free hand.

 

Felix turned, his grin growing impossibly wider. “Hey! I didn’t think you would come.” 

 

“Why’s that?” Dan asked. 

 

“Because you’re always really moody and tired after work.” Chris offered, Felix nodded in agreement.

 

“I’m not moody…” he paused and sighed. “I am, but it’s only because I deal with screaming children all day while you sit back on your arse with a book which, oftentimes, is really terrible.” 

 

Felix chuckled. “See? Moody.” 

 

Chris laughed and pat Felix on the back. “C’mon, I’ll show you the foosball table.”

 

Dan watched them leave, his mouth dropping open slightly. Did they really just leave him with Phil? Hadn’t Felix seen how bitter he was to Dan earlier. 

 

Taking a breath, Dan turned to Phil. “You have a good time with Marzia and Felix?” he asked, a hint of jealousy finding its way to his sentence. It’s not that Dan would have said yes if he’d been asked to hang out, rather the fact that he wasn’t asked at all. And Phil was? Some kid Marzia met at Uni? It stung. Not that Dan cared. Because he didn’t. Nope. Not at all.

  
Phil shrugged. “I guess. Felix is really loud. And kind of disrespectful to, like, everyone.”

 

Dan laughed quietly. “Yeah, you get used to it.”

 

Phil gave a polite, ‘please leave me alone’ type of laugh and let their conversation fall short, awkward silence filling the air around them.

 

Dan shifted his weight a few times before finally speaking again. “You want a drink?” 

 

Phil let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

 

Dan nodded. “I’ll be right back.” he said and turned on his heel, heading back to the cooler. When he returned with a fresh beer in hand, Phil was nowhere to be seen. His grip tightened on the neck of the beer bottle, his lip twitching into a scowl.

 

He  _ tried  _ to be polite, he  _ tried  _ to be kind to Phil, and the fucker ditches him when he goes to grab a beer that was  _ meant for Phil himself _ ? That  _ fucker _ . 

 

Dan took a breath to calm him, forcing his hands to stop shaking. Why the fuck was Phil so nice in his dreams if he turned out to be a dick in real life? That didn’t add up. Whatever. 

 

Dan finished off his first beer and opened the second, finishing the whole thing in one go. 

 

“Hey, careful, Danny-boy. Don’t wanna drink yourself to death.” came a voice from behind him.

 

Dan turned, brows raised. “What makes you think that?” he asked, pausing when he noticed that Felix was standing behind him with an already drunk Marzia hanging from his left arm while Zoe Sugg hung off his right, not drunk but clearly stoned.

 

“Where’d Phil disappear to?” Felix asked with a hum. 

 

“How am I supposed to know? I went to get him a beer but when I came back…” Dan shrugged, tossing the two empty beer bottles into the bin. 

 

“Right...well, I gotta get these two home. I have no idea how this happened in all honesty. We’ve been here for two hours and they’re shitfaced!” Felix complained as he lead the two girls to the door. A few of the people Dan didn’t know whistled after the three, cackling at a joke one of them had made. 

 

Dan sighed and glanced around. He spotted Chris, walked over and rested his forehead on his shoulder. 

 

“Hey, Dan!” Chris grinned. 

 

“Hey, Chris. I was ditched. Mind if I join you?” Dan asked quietly.

 

“Sure! We’re just talking about the logistics of Scientology.” Chris laughed. 

 

Dan glanced at the small group of people surrounding Chris, sighing quietly to himself. Of course it was his Uni friends. Of course. 

 

It was going to be a long night.

 

*******

 

“Alright, Daniel, time to get you home.” PJ said, heaving Dan off the couch and wrapping an arm around his middle. 

 

Dan whined, shaking his head. “No, Peeeeeeeeej, lemme stay. M’fine. S’fiiiiiiine.” he complained.

 

“Dan, you’re drunk. It’s time to go home.” PJ sighed, rolling his eyes at Dan’s feeble protests.

 

“M’not drunk.” Dan huffed, shaking his head and digging his forehead into PJ’s shoulder.

 

PJ cringed. “Chris, would you go get Phil for me?”

 

Chris nodded and scrambled off, coming back minutes later with a very confused, yet sober, Phil. 

 

“Where does this person live? What am I doing? Who am I driving home?” he questioned.

 

Chris answered each question respectively, telling Phil Dan’s address and flat number.

 

Phil groaned quietly when Dan’s name was mentioned. “Alright, hand him over.” he grumbled.

 

PJ passed Dan over to Phil, making sure he had a good hold on Dan before heading for the door. “Fuckin’ kid.” Phil mumbled, hoisting Dan into his car.

 

“Not a kid.” Dan replied, pushing Phil away when he tried to do up Dan’s safety belt. “I got it. I can do it myself.” 

 

Phil shrugged and slammed the door, hoping he didn’t crush Dan’s foot. Wait...no. He didn’t care. Nope. Not at all.

 

Phil slipped into the driver’s seat, sending another concerned glance to Dan before starting up the car and speeding down the street.

 

*******

 

Dan’s flat was smaller than Phil had expecting it to be. It was a small studio apartment, just over just barely over 40 square metres. A beat up mattress was pushed into the corner of what Phil assumed was supposed to be the lounge. To the right was a door, probably leading to the bathroom, and to the right was a small kitchenette area. 

 

Phil bit the inside of his cheek. He wondered how much a place like this would cost. No more than 650 pounds, right? 

 

“So this is where you live?” he asked, instantly regretting what he had said when Dan turned to look at him.

 

“Pretty much.” Dan slurred, managing to make his voice sound angrier than he really was. Sure, it wasn’t the best apartment, but Phil had no right to judge.

 

“It’s...nice.” Phil shrugged, helping Dan stumble over to the mattress. “Try to get some rest.” 

 

Dan mocked Phil, though he let him pull the thin duvet over his shoulders. As Phil walked away, Dan managed a small “thank you” before the door was closed again. 

  
Outside the door, Phil slumped back, letting a small smile spread over his face. He’d gladly help a drunken Daniel again.


	4. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wow i think i did a good (unlike the most recent chapter of Run For Your Lives)
> 
> enjoy!

Dan’s hangover the next day was worse than normal. Normally, it was just a minor headache, maybe a bit of sickness, but that was it. But this time, no, this time was different. Dan had spent most of his morning bent over the toilet, eyes watering as he sicked up whatever he drank last night. When he finally arrived at work after a grueling walk through the too bright streets with the too loud people walking around him, he looked a mess. He hadn’t bothered to straighten his hair, and his uniform was wrinkled and crooked. 

 

“Daniel, dear boy, you look dreadful!” Mr. Barlow called from his place behind the counter. “No wonder you’re late! Did you drink an entire liquour aisle?” 

 

Dan offered a half-hearted laugh, shaking his head. “Just had a bit too much fun last night. I’m fine, though, really.”

 

Mr. Barlow shifted from behind the counter, patting Dan gently on the shoulder. “If you need anything, let me know, Daniel. Don’t want you sicking all over the books.”

 

Dan nodded and replaced Mr. B.’s position behind the counter. “Sure, Mr. B.” he said as the old man walked to the back room. Just like always.

 

The shoppe’s door opened, causing Dan’s head to begin throbbing again. Lucky for him, this person was relatively quiet, and the lighting in the shoppe wasn’t bright enough to be hurting his eyes. Dan could survive the day.

 

*******

 

Dan was wrong. He was so very wrong. The customer that had come in earlier simply wouldn’t leave, and it had been nearly an hour and a half. They were messy, too. Everywhere they went there seemed to be a pile of books that hadn’t been there before they’d come in. And as for the quiet thing? Well, Dan was wrong about that as well. Every book they picked out and didn’t want went straight into a pile with a loud ‘thunk’ that echoed through the entire store.

 

Dan let out a shaking breath, closing his eyes tightly as his hands rested over his ears, doing his best to block out the ‘thunk, pause, pause, thunk’. 

 

“Excuse me? Excuse me, I am speaking to you.” said the customer. 

 

Dan looked up, squinting against the dim light. “I’m sorry. How may I help you?” he grumbled out, standing up straight. 

 

“Your website - confusing as it may be - told me that you would have a third edition copy of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Now where would it be?” the customer demanded.

 

Dan sighed quietly, rubbing his temples gently as he responded. “I don’t know how our website is confusing, I had the best of the best design it.” he mumbled. “We keep all of our romance novels in the back corner,” he said, pointing at the corner, “but if you’re looking for a third edition, we’d keep in the back, if we had it at all.”

 

The customer stared blankly at Dan, as if expecting him to say something more. So he did. 

 

“I suggest looking in the romance section first.”

 

The customer nodded and turned on their heel, stomping over to where Dan had pointed them. Dan watched them closely, covering his ears once again as they began thunking books onto the table.

 

“Um...excuse me?” Dan called, biting his lip gently.

 

The customer turned, raising a brow at Dan. “Yes?”

 

“Can you maybe, uh, not do that? Tossing the books down like that. Some of them are extremely old and-” 

 

The customer scoffed and shook their head. “Like me doing this,” they tossed another book to the table, “is going to hurt anything in the book. Besides, the customer is always right.”

 

“Well, I suppose, but you do have to have a certain level of respect for the products we sell, especially if they’re as old as some of the books we sell-” 

 

“And who are you to tell me what to do? You’re just a cashier, you probably sweep up at the end of your shift. You’ve no right to tell me that I can’t put books down the way I want to.” 

 

Dan stared blankly at the customer, his lips parted as he tried to say something. No words could describe that. “You’re right.” he smiled sweetly. “Please, continue on.” 

 

The customer nodded firmly and turned back to the shelf they were staring at. The thunking of the books started up again and Dan let out a quiet groan, falling back into the chair Felix normally sat in. He, once again, covered his ears and attempted to block out the sound. 

 

*******

 

By the time the customer came back to the desk, Dan was damn near actual tears from their incessant thunking, which seemed to only grow louder after Dan had asked them to stop. The customer peered over the counter, scowling at Dan.

  
  


“Do they pay you just to sit around?” they asked coldly.

 

Dan glanced up and shook his head, standing as he did. “Are you ready to check out?”

 

“No, I still haven’t found my book.” the customer replied. “You said something about having it in the back. Now take me there.”

 

Dan sighed, stepping out from behind the counter. “Alright…” he mumbled and waved for the person to follow him to the door of the back room. “Just...wait here, please.”

 

“No. I’m coming in with you.” the person stated simply, like that was just the end of the argument.

 

“I’m sorry, but customers aren’t allowed in the back room. I’m going to have to ask you to wait out here.” Dan said, his head pounding harder with each word he spoke.

 

The customer opened their mouth but closed it again, shrugging and waiting for Dan to step into the room. Dan did so, asking Mr. Barlow for the book. When the man confirmed that they, in fact, did not have a copy, Dan stepped back out to the customer. 

 

He put on his best ‘happy to help’ smile and began speaking. “I’m sorry, but we don’t seem to have that book in. You can check in in a few weeks, or you can find some place else to look.”

 

The customer scoffed, making attempt to shove past Dan. “You said you would have it!” they exclaimed.

 

Dan sighed. “I said we  _ might  _ have it. And, please, don’t speak so loudly. I’ve got a pounding headache-”

 

“I don’t care about your bloody headache! Your website told me you had the book. You told me you had the book. So where is the book?” they demanded, voice raising further as they continued.

 

Dan’s breath began to shake when the person tried to shove past him and into the back room, demanding that they speak to a manager. The tears in Dan’s eyes began to trickle over as he pleaded quietly for them to wait out front while he went and fetched the owner.

 

“Hey!” came a voice from the doorway. “Hey, would you leave him alone?” the person huffed as they came closer. 

 

Both the customer and Dan looked up to see who was intervening. Dan smiled a little when his eyes landed on Phil.

 

“He lied to me!” the customer complained, pointing an accusatory finger at Dan.

 

Phil scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I hardly think he lied. He could lose his job for that y’know. Daniel, come here. I’ve got this.” 

 

Dan nodded and scampered to Phil’s said, holding his head like it might explode if he let go. Phil continued speaking with the customer, finishing with “if you’re not going to buy anything, then get out.”

 

The customer, appalled that they had been treated like anything less than Her Majesty, The Queen, herself, stalked out of the shoppe, grumbling to themselves all the while. 

 

As soon as the door had slammed behind them, Phil turned to Dan, tilting his head up so that he could look at the slightly shorter properly.

 

“You look awful.” Phil pointed out.

 

“I’ve been told.” Dan replied, doing his best to be as sarcastic as possible. 

 

Phil smiled softly and lead Dan to the chair behind the counter, helping him sit down. “You need sleep, nourishment and Advil.”

 

“I need to work.” Dan said. “Mr. B. won’t be happy if he sees me sleeping on the job.”

 

Phil shook his head, slipping his jacket from his shoulders. He traded it for Dan’s name tag and stuck the pin on his shirt. “I’ve got it. Get some rest. I’ll take you for lunch in, say, half an hour.”

 

Dan nodded, pulling Phil’s jacket over him as his makeshift blanket. “Thanks, Phil.” he mumbled. 

  
Phil smiled down at Dan, leaning on the counter. “Sure, Dan.”


	5. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HEY LOOK IM BACK I PROMISE THIS ISNT AS SHIT AS RUN FOR YOUR LIVES ILY GUYS AND I AM GAY AS SHIT BOI

Dan couldn’t imagine a better way to wake up than someone gently shaking his shoulder and whispering “wakey wakey” to him in the sweetest voice he could picture. Picture perfect, he figured. 

 

Sadly, that is not how Dan woke up. No, he woke up in quite possibly the worst way imaginable. A twisted version of his ideal. Someone was violently shaking him by the shoulders, another was swiping the jacket that had been used as a blanket and the third was shouting at him. 

 

“Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!” the person shouted. 

 

Dan groaned, popping one eye open to stare up at Phil. “How do you know I’m not vegan?” he asked gruffly. 

 

Phil shrugged. “Wakey wakey, vegetables and  _ sadness _ !” he yelled, taking Dan’s ankles and yanking him off the chair, sending him tumbling to the floor. 

 

Dan landed right on his tailbone, the back of his head smacking the floor as well. Behind him, Felix and Marzia were cackling at him. 

 

“Fuck you all.” Dan huffed out, rubbing his head where he’d hit it.

 

“No thanks.” Felix replied, watching as Phil yanked Dan off the floor. 

 

“Ow! Careful, you idiot!” Dan yelped, pulling his arm away from Phil and rubbing his arse. 

 

“Sorry, Dan, but it looked fun.” Marzia said and placed her hand on Dan’s shoulder. “But we’re here for lunch!” 

 

Dan furrowed his brows, glancing up to the clock on the wall. “Huh...guess it is lunch time. Lemme just go tell Mr. B…” 

 

“I already covered that. Told him I was taking you out drinking.” Felix said, playfully ruffling Dan’s hair.

 

“Fuck off, Kjellberg.” Dan grumped, taking his name tag off Phil’s shirt and tossing the jacket at him. “Let’s just get this over with.”

 

Felix laughed and took his girlfriend’s hand, leading her out of the store with Phil close behind. Dan stomped after them, hands shoved into his pockets. This was going to be a blast, now wasn’t it?

 

*******

 

Dan trailed behind the three other members of his lunch party, not even bothering to wonder where the hell they were going because he knew they wouldn’t tell him anyway. His shoulders slumped in defeat when the took yet another turn down a road Dan hardly knew. 

 

“Hey.” said someone to Dan’s left. That definitely had  _ not  _ made him jump. And it had  _ not  _ made him squeak in surprise. 

 

Dan whipped his head to look at the person - oh. Just Phil, looking quite amused at Dan’s little freak out. “What do you want?” Dan asked. 

 

“You looked kinda lonely back here. And Felix is...being Felix.” Phil sighed, pulling a disgusted face.

 

Dan let a breathy laugh slip his throat. “Yeah, he’ll do that. He talking about when he and Marzia get home again? Because I can understand why you’d choose me over him if that was the case.”

 

Phil nodded slowly, adding a fake gag for emphasis and pulling another laugh from Dan in the process. “I swear to god, if he doesn’t stop by the time we get there…”

 

“He will. He may be crude but he won’t do that in a majorly occupied place.” Dan assured, turning his head from where he was most definitely  _ not  _ staring at Phil and his stupidly perfect face.

 

They walked in silence for a moment before Phil spoke again. “Sorry. About the way we woke you up.” 

 

Dan scoffed. “Please, you loved every second of it.”

 

“While I admit, it was fun,” Phil smiled at the memory of Dan’s face, his grumpy pout and his oddly adorable glare and- no, Phil was  _ not  _ taking a liking to the boy, “I feel kinda bad. It was mostly Felix’s idea.”

 

“I don’t doubt that.” Dan replied coolly, still not looking back to Phil. 

 

Phil sighed. “Seriously? You’re going to act like a child?”

 

“Not acting like a ‘child’.” Dan said.

 

Phil laughed and shook his head, somehow not being able to take his eyes off the slightly shorter boy. “Alright, I see you’re just going to be the king of salt today, so why don’t we try this: I’ll ask you a few questions - nothing too hard, I know your little teenager brain can only handle so much - and all you have to do is answer them. If even that. Sound good?”

Dan sighed quietly. “I’m not a teenager. But fine, if it’ll get you to stop fake apologising.”

 

Phil grinned. “Alright, alright, this first one is easy.”

 

Dan looked to Phil expectantly.

 

“How old are you?” Phil asked.

 

“Nineteen.” Dan replied. 

 

“Teenager.” Phil teased with a smirk. “Alright, favourite colour?” 

 

Dan raised a brow as if to say ‘are you thick?’ then glanced down at his attire - black shirt, black jeans, black shoes. 

 

“Right...stupid question. Okay, um...how about your favourite animal?” Phil blushed. He stumbled for a different question so quickly Dan thought he might actually hurt himself.

 

“God, I don’t know. I mean, dogs are pretty cool, but llamas are awesome as well, so...I dunno. I don’t think I could decide that without great contemplation.” Dan said, a small smile spreading over his face.

 

“You graduate high school?”

 

“Barely.”

 

“Enjoy the beach?”

 

“Never been.”

 

“Rollercoasters?”

 

“Fuck yeah.”

 

It went on like this for awhile, Phil questioning Dan on stupid stuff that probably didn’t matter, and Dan answering as simply as possible. 

 

“Plan on going to university?” asked Phil, his tone taking a turn from lighthearted to serious.

 

“Never.” Dan stated simply before adding: “Don’t think I could if I tried anyway.”

 

Phil furrowed his eyebrows, smile turning slightly smaller and crooked. “Why would you think that?”

 

Dan shrugged, taking note of the way Phil’s expression changed. “I’m just not the greatest fit for school. Too many people, too much stress, not enough internet browsing. Besides, I’m already working all week, I don’t have time for university on top of that.”

 

Phil let out a small hum, shaking his head. “I dunno, I think you handle stress pretty well, considering the twat that was in your store earlier.” 

 

“Sure.” Dan laughed. “Aside from me nearly breaking down.”

 

“I thought you were doing just fine. And-”

 

“Hey, lovebirds! We’re here!” Felix called over his shoulder, smirking slightly.

 

Phil glanced to Dan, flashing a small smile. “I bet you’d get along swimmingly.”

  
“Thanks.” Dan smiled back, blushing slightly when Phil opened the door for him.


	6. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oooooh jush is back and really gay

Dan had no idea what happened, he really didn’t, but as soon as he and Phil stepped through the threshold of the little breakfast cafe, Phil went back to being his ruthlessly passive aggressive self. Dan couldn’t understand what happened, they seemed to be getting along just fine before then.

 

“Marzia and I are sitting on the same side. You guys can take the other.” Felix said, motioning to the booth they were standing beside. 

 

Phil gave a sigh - obviously exaggerated - and glanced to Dan. He smirked. “You can sit in the corner.” 

 

Dan opened his mouth to object but Felix shot him a look. So, with great resentment for two of the three members in his party, he slid into the booth, pressing close to the corner. Phil then slid in, half his leg hanging off the bench in attempt to stay away from Dan.

 

Felix and Marzia slid into their side of the booth with Marzia on the inside, as she was smaller than Felix.

 

A waitress appeared within the next few minutes, a large grin on her face. “Hi! I’m Nichole, I’ll be your server today! What drinks can I get you started with today?” she giggled, her eyes scanning over the tenants at the table before landing on Dan in the corner. Her smile widened slightly.

 

“Hi, Nichole,” Felix grinned, “I think she and I are going to start with two lemonades - with ice -, and they will have…” he trailed off and looked to the two others sitting opposite him.

 

“Coffee.” Phil stated simply.

 

“Rose tea.” Dan said shortly after Phil, sending a small smile to Nichole.

 

The waitress giggled again and nodded, scribbling down the drink orders. “Alright, two lemonades with ice, a coffee and a rose tea? I’ll be back with those in just a few minutes.” she said and practically bounced away, her blonde hair flopping behind her.

 

Dan rolled his eyes, shrinking further into the corner. He listened as Felix and Phil got into a heated discussion about whether or not candy corn was a vegetable (it’s not) and snorting every time Felix insisted that it was.

 

Eventually, Nichole returned, her pep having only gone up. “Alrighty! Here are the two lemonades, and the coffee - careful, hun, that stuff is  _ piping  _ hot.” she said as she set the glasses in front of each person respectively.

 

“And, for the handsome young man in the corner, a rose tea.” she giggled flirtatiously.

 

Dan took the mug from Nichole cautiously, catching a glimpse of the way Phil’s chest puffed slightly when she referred to Dan as “the handsome young man”, almost protectively. Dan smirked as he brought the mug to his lips.

 

Nichole reached out for him to stop. “Oh, careful, it’s-”

 

“Oh, fuck me!” Dan yelped, quickly pulling the mug from his mouth and setting it down.

 

“-hot.” Nichole finished.

 

Dan looked up at her, licking his lips while trying to keep his tongue out of his mouth. He began to blush profusely, nodding slightly. “Thanks for the warning.” he mumbled.

 

Nichole let out one small giggle and looked down, smoothing out her blouse. “I’ll go grab you a glass of ice, sweetie.” she said and turned to walk away.

 

Phil glanced back to Dan, smirking slightly, though the concern in his eyes was prominent. After a moment, he sighed and spoke up, since neither Felix nor Marzia were paying attention. “Are you alright?”

 

Dan looked to Phil, shrugging slightly. “My entire mouth feels like it was just filled with boiling water-”

 

“That  _ is _ what happened.” Phil pointed out.

 

“Shuddup.” Dan huffed, looking down at his Satan tea.

 

Phil rolled his eyes, nudging Dan’s shoulder gently as Nichole returned.

 

“There you go, sweetie.” she said and set the glass of ice in front of Dan, grinning ear to ear. Dan couldn’t help but notice the not-so-subtle way she bent over, her shirt just barely covering her chest.

 

Dan flashed a smile. “Thanks.” he said, scooping out an ice cube and popping it into his mouth. Nichole still didn’t leave. She just continued to smile at Dan, her eyes sparkling.

 

Phil let out a frustrated sigh. “Are you going to take our orders?” he asked, tone turning from the genuine one Dan had heard before to a bitter-sweet one.

 

Nichole snapped from her Dan-induced daze and looked to Phil, shooting him a glare before taking out her notepad. “Alrighty, what can I get you guys?” she asked, tone matching Phil’s.

 

Felix spoke first, ordering himself a egg and sausage plate and Marzia the same. Nichole wrote down the order happily, humming a tune as she did so. When she turned to Phil, though, her smile faded and her eyes narrowed.

 

“And for Mr. Impatient?” she huffed out, shifting her weight to her other foot.

 

“Crumpets and jam?” Phil asked, raising a brow. Surely the waitress wouldn’t turn down an order from a customer.

 

“Sure.” Nichole said and scribbled the order down, turning to Dan. “How about you, cutie?” she asked sweetly, her smile, once again, returning.

 

“Erm...the same as him, I guess.” Dan replied, nodding to Phil as he spoke.

 

Nichole nodded and scribbled out the order and reached over to take the glass of ice from Dan.

 

“Leave it.” he requested. “I’ll most likely burn myself again.” he mumbled afterward, hoping none of the others heard him.

 

Phil’s eyes flickered over to Dan, having heard the comment. He wondered just how self-deprecating Dan was. He rolled his eyes instead of acknowledging it though, figuring he could get Dan’s number and ask him later that night.

 

Nichole let go of the glass and nodded at Dan, scribbling down something more on her notepad and bouncing away. 

 

“I must say,” Phil commented, “I’m not a fan of her.”

 

*******

 

Once all four of them had finished their meal and were ready to pay, Dan was getting utterly infuriated by Nichole. She kept coming by the check on them, or, rather, him, asking questions like ‘do you want another serving’ or ‘more tea’? Phil was visibly irritated by this as well, though, unlike Dan, he made no comment on it.

 

“Honestly, if I come back here and she’s my waitress, I’ll shoot myself.” Dan said once Nichole had left for what seemed like the thousandth time.

 

Felix narrowed his eyes, raising a brow as he did so. “Don’t joke about that, fucker, you know I don’t like it when you say that about yourself.”

 

Dan rolled his eyes, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. “Whatever. I had good reason.”

 

“I don’t give a fuck what kind of reason you had for yourself, there’s a reason I come by once a week-”

 

“Hey, guys, here’s your check!” Nichole giggled and set the bill down in the middle of the table. “And for you, cutie.” she said to Dan, leaning over Phil and handing Dan a slip of paper. On it, were a set of numbers scrawled over ‘call me <3’ in bright pink.

 

Dan smiled unconvincingly, feeling a bit nauseous. Phil, on the other hand, grew more defensive, his eyes flickering from Dan to the paper then up to Nichole. 

 

“Would you please stop flirting with my boyfriend?” he asked coldly, eyes narrowed slightly.

 

Nichole, as well as Dan, went beet red. “Your boyfriend?” the waitress choked out.

 

“Yes.” Phil replied simply.

 

Dan looked to Phil, then Nichole, laughing nervously under his breath at the expression that had crossed the girl’s face.

 

“S-sorry.” Nichole stammered out, flashing a shy smile to Dan and turning on her heel. She glanced over her shoulder to say “just leave the payment on the table.” before skulking away.

 

Felix left the exact payment (with an added tip) and got up. “Let’s go.” he said, leading his girlfriend toward the door. Phil and Dan followed, Dan trailing behind Phil.

 

Once outside, the two waved to Marzia and Felix as they walked off before Phil turned to Dan. “Can I give you my number?”

 

“Why?” Dan asked skeptically.

 

“Just in case you need something desperately.” Phil shrugged, holding out his hand for Dan’s phone. Dan handed it over after unlocking it, watching as Phil put his number in and text himself. 

 

“Thanks.” Dan mumbled, shoving his phone back into his pocket after Phil returned it.

 

Phil nodded, smiling at Dan sweetly. “You know how to get back to the shoppe from here?”

 

“Yeah.” Dan nodded.

 

“Good. I’ll talk to you later, yeah?” Phil suggested, maybe a bit too hopefully.

 

“Yeah, of course.” Dan smiled, giving Phil a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning to walk away. Phil pushed his hands into his pockets, grinning as he watched Dan for a moment until he began to head off to his own destination. 


	7. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wow okay updates have not been happening but here's this. this fic wasn't supposed to delve into the whole "depression" thing but HERE WE ARE. fuckin fight me.

Of course this had to happen tonight, didn’t it? He’d had such a nice day. And that wasn’t allowed, for some reason. The universe, a long time ago, had made the executive decision that Daniel Howell was not to have a good day. And, boy, did the universe mean it. 

 

Dan supposed that was why, even after having no trouble at all during the day, he somehow ended up laying flat on his back on his mattress, staring up at the ceiling with tears trickling down his cheeks. Beside him lay his phone, lighting up with various notifications from either Youtube, Instagram or his messages. No doubt Felix wanting to ‘check up on him’. Couldn’t he see that Dan was fine? Dan didn’t need anyone to check up on him, because he was fine. Perfectly fine.

 

_ ‘If it were to come to it, what would it matter if I died? We’re just meaningless specks floating endlessly through the universe. We’re all going to die someday, why not make it a bit sooner? It’s not like anyone would mind. It’s all meaningless anyway. I can’t do anything worthwhile if I don’t have someone to do it with, right? Mum and Dad were right. They were just dreams. And it’s only a coincidence that Phil looks like that kid. There’s no such thing as destiny.  _ **_There’s no such thing as destiny, you ignorant twat._ ** _ ’ _

 

Dan’s eyes flickered to his phone, the screen lighting up with a phone call from the one the only - not Felix. Dan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when he picked up his phone and read the caller ID. This was not Felix. This was Phil fucking Lester.

 

“Why are you calling me?” Dan asked quietly, trying to steady his voice the best he could.

 

“You weren’t answering Felix, he called me, asked for me to check up.” Phil explained, his voice raspy due to bad connection. 

 

“Well I’m fine so…” Dan shrugged, sitting up slowly. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the lightheadedness to pass. 

 

“You don’t sound very fine.” Phil replied. “I’m coming over.”

 

“Phil, you don’t have to-” cutting himself off, Dan stood, “hold on, someone’s at the door.” 

 

Phil let a small sigh slip on the other line as Dan made his way to the front door, fumbling with the lock for a moment. “He- Phil, what’re you doing here?” 

 

Phil flashed a small smile to Dan, pushing his way into the flat. “I told you I was coming over.” he said, taking a quick glance around before turning to Dan again. 

 

Upon closer inspection, Phil realised that Dan had, in fact, been crying. His nose was pink and slightly runny and his eyes were a bit red, not to mention his wrinkled clothes - which hadn’t been changed since earlier, Dan’s name tag still stick on his shirt - and disheveled hair. 

 

“Dan...have you been crying?” Phil asked quietly, watching Dan shove his phone into his pocket. 

 

“N-no.” Dan murmured, stepping into the kitchen. “Do you want anything? Water, juice, tea, I think I’ve got some crisps in here somewhere…”

 

Phil sighed, turning Dan to face him and pulling him into a gentle hug. “I’m not mocking you, Dan. And it’s alright if you have been crying. There’s no shame in that.”

 

Dan shook his head, folding his arms over his chest, trapping them in between he and Phil. “I haven’t been crying. And I don’t need you here - much less want you to be.”

 

Phil let out another sigh, giving a gentle stroke to Dan’s back and pulling away. “Alright, Dan. Call me if you need anything.” he said before beginning to pull away from Dan.

 

He didn’t get far before he was being pulled back, Dan’s arms wrapping tightly around Phil’s middle. “Don’t go.” he murmured, shoulders trembling slightly.

 

Phil nodded, letting his chin rest on the top of Dan’s head as he wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter’s shoulders. Dan’s arms tightened around Phil, so Phil offered the only thing he could think of. 

 

“Why don’t you grab a shower, and I’ll get you something comfortable to change into, and we’ll watch a movie, yeah?”

 

Dan peered up at Phil, giving a slight nod. “Alright.”

 

Phil smiled, pressing a feather light kiss to the top of Dan’s head. “Go on then. I’ll grab you a change of clothes.”

 

Dan nodded and pulled from Phil, walking away and disappearing into the bathroom.

 

*******

 

About ten minutes and a hot shower later, Dan emerged from his room, clad in the Winnie the Pooh onesie Phil had chosen from Dan’s dresser, to see Phil standing in his kitchen, making popcorn.

 

Phil glanced to Dan, snorting quietly. “Wasn’t expecting you to actually put it on.”

 

“You picked it out.” Dan replied. 

 

“True, but it is your place, you could’ve just chosen something else.” Phil pointed out with a smirk. 

 

Dan blushed, running his hand through his already curling hair. “Shuddup, Lester.” 

 

“Make me, Howell.” Phil shot back playfully, his cheeks going pink after realising what he had said.

 

Dan laughed quietly, shaking his head. “What movie are we watching?” he asked. 

 

“Haven’t decided yet.” Phil shrugged. 

 

“I got this.” Dan chuckled and turned to his room, going for his laptop.

 

*******

 

It took about ten more minutes for Dan and Phil to have set everything up and get settled. And Phil would be damned if he didn’t love that Dan had curled up under his arm, yawning as he pressed play on the movie. 

 

Dan, himself, would be damned if he didn’t love that Phil’s arm had tightened protectively around his shoulders, fingers tracing patterns lightly in the sleeve of Dan’s onesie. Though he wasn’t loving that he was starting to fall asleep, barely able to keep his eyes open. 

 

“Phil, don’t lemme fall‘sleep.” Dan mumbled, pressing his face closer to Phil’s chest. 

 

Phil laughed quietly, shaking his head. “No-can-do, Bear.” he murmured and pressed a kiss to the top of Dan’s head. 

 

Dan let out a small hum, letting himself relax against Phil. Within a few minutes, he was asleep. 

 

Phil glanced down to the younger, pressing another kiss to Dan’s head. “G’night.”


	8. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyy so here's another chapter of this. i'll be gone for a while (like three or four days) so i wont have time to write the next chapter until i get back but lemme tell you its gonna be dramatic and filled with tension (dont make promises you cant deliver, josh. FUCK OFF YOU TWAT) anyway, enjoy, ily guys

When Dan woke up the next morning, the warmth that Phil had provided him was gone, a pillow allowing him something to latch onto. With his arms still wrapped tightly around said pillow, Dan stood, stumbling slightly having just barely come back to consciousness. 

 

“Phil?” he called, voice a bit rough. 

 

There was no reply, so Dan stepped out of his room, glancing around the lounge/kitchen area. Phil was nowhere in sight, nor was anyone else. Dan sighed, figuring he must’ve been dreaming it all. That is, until his hand brushed against a piece of paper lying on the island separating the kitchen from the lounge area. He frowned and picked it up, reading the slightly messy scrawl. 

 

_ Dan,  _

_ Sorry I left, had to run a few errands. No need to go into work today either, I had Felix call your boss. He’s filling in for you. Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be in touch.  _

_ ~Phil _

 

The corner of Dan’s mouth tugged upward into a half smile, his face turning a soft pink. He couldn’t help but think that he’d like to wake up this way everyday. Of course, with his small living space (and the fact that Phil was probably just taking pity on him), that wasn’t happening any time soon. 

 

Still, it was a nice thought. 

 

*******

 

It took a little less than three hours for Dan to get bored. He wasn’t one to just lay around the house on his computer all day. 

 

…

 

Okay, yes he was, but his schedule had been so busy recently he’d fallen into a habit of wake up, shower, work, repeat. Just laying around didn’t seem to satisfy him anymore. Either that or he was just really itching to ask Phil out. Whether it was the way he’d treated Dan the previous night or the way he had gotten so jealous and over-protective at the cafe, Dan wasn’t quite sure, but he did know that Phil was absolutely adorable when he was jealous. 

 

And what could be the harm? Soul-crushing rejection from the boy he’d been seeing in his dreams since he was small? Not that bad. 

 

“Hey, Phil.” Dan said, trying to force at least a little bit of emotion into his voice. It didn’t work.

 

“Dan, hey! You doing alright?” Phil answered, a small laugh finding its way through the phone line and into Dan’s mind. That was definitely Dan wanted to hear again. 

 

“I’m fine. I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything tonight? Y’know, if you’re free.” Dan said, feeling his face heat up more with each word. 

 

There was a pause that seemed to last a lifetime before Phil replied. “Sure, what did you have in mind?” 

 

Dan let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. This drew out another laugh from Phil. “Maybe we could go for dinner? As a, um, y’know, a thank you. For staying with me last night.” 

 

“Dan, you don’t have to thank me. But I wouldn’t mind dinner.” Phil replied. 

 

“Come by my place around, say, five-thirty?” Dan requested. 

 

“I’ll see you then.” Phil agreed. 

 

“Bye, Phil.” Dan said, grinning widely. It took a minute for Phil to speak again. 

 

“Dan, you actually have to hang up.” he laughed. 

 

“Oh! Right, sorry.” Dan chuckled nervously. “See you in a few hours.” 

 

Phil laughed, bid Dan goodbye, and hung up, letting the line go dead. Dan grinned, waiting for the click before letting out a small squeal and dashing off to find something to wear. 

 

*******

 

Five-thirty could not have come slower. In reality, it was probably only a three or four hour wait, but to Dan it felt like a week. He’d gone through all of his casual shirts, deciding they were all too...well, casual. He then moved onto more dressy shirts, mostly consisting of button-ups. 

 

Then came the jeans. Taking into account that he had about five pairs of jeans, all of them black, he chose the cleanest and newest pair. Dan looked himself in the mirror, plastering on a small smile. 

 

When a knock came to the door, Dan’s shoulders tensed. He sucked in a breath and moved to the door after a quick fringe check. Dan pulled the door open, smiling at Phil, who had dressed himself in a dark blue button up and jeans. Relieved to know he wasn’t the only one, Dan stepped into the doorway. 

 

“You look nice.” 

 

Phil shrugged and giggled, shaking his head. Dan couldn’t help but notice the way Phil’s tongue stuck between his teeth when he smiled. Again, adorable. “I didn’t know where we were going. Figured I’d go semi-formal.” 

 

Dan grinned. “Good choice. I didn’t want to be the only one.” he said. 

 

Phil gave Dan a once over and grinned wider. “You look nice too.”

 

Dan shook his head, disappearing for a moment before coming back, shoving his phone, keys and wallet into their respective pockets. “Let’s go.” 

 

Phil nodded, stepping aside to allow Dan out. After he locked the door, Dan lead Phil down the hall toward the stairs. 

 

“Do we have to?” Phil complained. 

 

Dan grinned, chuckling softly. “I was hoping you’d say that. I really hate stairs.” 

 

“Me too.” Phil replied, pressing the call button on the elevator. 

 

“Glad we can agree.” Dan said, grinning wider at Phil. 

 

*******

 

“Dan…” Phil sighed, “I don’t want this to sound rude, but are you sure you can afford this place?”

 

Dan turned to Phil, hand resting on the handle of the restaurant. “Phil, trust me, I got it.” 

 

Phil shifted nervously. “Dan, you’re really great, but this place seems a bit out of your price range. We can go somewhere else. It’s fine, i understand if-”

 

“Phil!” Dan exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Phil, it’s alright. I got it.” 

 

Phil sighed, shaking his head with a chuckle. “Fine.” he said, letting Dan hold the door open for him.”

 

*******

 

Dan stared down at the bill he had been given, looking paler than he normally was. “Right...so, Phil...we might have a problem…”

 

Phil raised a brow at Dan, his head tilting slightly. “Yes?” 

 

“This place has...gone up in price since I was last here…” Dan mumbled, glancing up at Phil with a rather mortified expression. 

 

“Oh, well, I think I have...” Phil trailed off, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He took a quick glance in before swallowing thickly. “Nothing.”

 

Dan went whiter, eyes flickering around quickly. “I think...we have to run for it.” 

 

“What?” Phil yelped, looking absolutely shocked that Dan would even suggest such a thing.

 

“Be quiet!” Dan hissed. “It’s the only way we can get out of this situation.”

 

Phil made a hesitant noise but sighed, nodding slowly. “Yeah...yeah, alright, but where are we escaping from? The front would be too obvious, wouldn’t it?”

 

Dan nodded, glancing to the back door. “There.” he murmured, directing Phil’s gaze to the same spot. 

 

Phil nodded again and looked back to Dan. “Whenever you’re ready.”

 

Dan smirked. “Now.” he said, standing and sprinting through the restaurant. Phil jumped up, sprinting after Dan. 

 

“Hey!” someone yelled from behind them. “Someone stop them!”


	9. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short and shitty, just like everything else ive been writing recently. sorry. i wanted to update this but the motivation simply wasnt there, so this is what you got

Phil’s chest was heaving by the time they reached the end of the street, nearly collapsing on himself when they stopped under the street light. Somehow their hands had detached, and Phil wasn’t happy with it. Of course, he wasn’t going to grab Dan’s hand again. No way. Wait...where was Dan?

Phil scanned around where he stood, eyes falling on the younger boy panting under the street light, his hands resting on his knees. 

“That-” Phil gasped, “Was the worst thing I’ve ever done.” 

Dan’s eyes flickered to Phil, a small smile on his face as he sucked in another breath. “Stick with me, kid, that won’t be the only illegal thing you’ll be doing.” he said, tone light-hearted and joking. 

Phil rolled his eyes, an out of breath chuckle escaping his lips. “You’re the kid here, y’know.”

Dan smiled at Phil, shaking his head. “Yeah, but who was the one that got us outta there?” he pointed out, straightening out to his full height. 

“We wouldn’t have been in that situation if you’d just let me take you somewhere else.” Phil countered.

“I wanted to take you there!” Dan huffed, folding his arms over his chest. 

“But you knew you wouldn’t be able to afford it!” Phil replied, his voice raising slightly. Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe the slight hatred he still felt for Dan, but he could feel himself growing angrier at Dan. They’d just pulled a dine-and-dash, for fuck’s sake. 

“I’m sorry!” Dan finally shouted, his voice echoing off the buildings around them. “I’m sorry that I fucked up! I just wanted to say thank you and I fucked up, just like everything else!” 

After Dan had finished and his echo faded, the street was eerily quiet. Dan was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, his shoulders tense and his hands balled into fists. Phil stared at him for a moment before realising he was shaking. 

“Dan…” Phil said quietly, taking a few steps toward Dan in order to close the gap between them. His arms were around Dan’s shoulders, and, in a matter of seconds, Dan was pressing his face into Phil’s chest, arms locked tight around the older’s middle. 

“I’m sorry, Phil. I’m sorry.” Dan mumbled into Phil’s shirt, his eyes pressed closed.

“Hey, no, it’s alright, Dan. It’s alright, things happen. I just wish you wouldn’t have been so stubborn about where we ate.” Phil replied. 

“I can’t help it. It’s just the way I am.” Dan said, glancing up at Phil with a small smirk. 

Phil laughed quietly. “Clearly. You wanna come back to my flat? I’ll get a movie going, we’ll have a quiet rest of the night.”

Dan nodded slowly, flashing a smile at Phil. The older man slipped his hand into Dan’s and lead him down the street, standing at the curb of a busier street to hail a cab.


	10. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aye guess whos back. see, i didnt forget? even if this chapter is horrible. but give me a break i wanted to add some sezzy but im awkward so heres whatcha got. uh...yeah. lets hope this ends soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really sorry for the short chapters, im trying, i really am

They were about halfway through their third movie when Dan began to drift off, his head rolling to the side. Phil glanced down at Dan, chuckling quietly when he saw the younger was basically a zombie, tucked up under his arm like the first time they did this. 

 

“You wanna get some sleep?” asked Phil, his tone hushed. 

 

Dan let out a small groan, burying his nose in Phil’s shoulder. Phil chuckled again, giving the younger boy’s side a small squeeze. 

 

“C’mon then.” Phil murmured, slowly slipping away from Dan. Dan whined, reaching up and making grabby hands at Phil. The older rolled his eyes, grabbing Dan’s hands and yanking him up from the couch.

 

“Be nice to me.” Dan huffed, doing his best to glare up at Phil, who only shook his head and scooped Dan up bridal style. 

 

“Phiiiiiiiil.” Dan whined out, his head dropping to Phil’s shoulder.

 

“Daaaaaaan.” Phil smirked down at the younger. 

 

“You’re mean.” Dan pouted.

 

Phil rolled his eyes again and, with a small scoff, plopped Dan onto the bed. Dan, however, didn’t let go of Phil, causing the other to topple down with him. Phil put his arms out, landing with them on either side of Dan’s head, legs finding their way between his knees. 

 

Phil stared down at the brunette, watching as his face went bright pink. Dan bit down on his lip, his nose twitching slightly when Phil leaned down slightly. 

 

“Can I kiss you?” Phil asked, leaning down further so that their lips were nearly touching. 

 

Slowly, Dan nodded, letting out a breathy “yes”.

 

Phil didn’t hesitate after that, pressing his lips against the younger boy’s. Dan responded by lifting his head from the pillow in attempt to get closer to Phil. 

 

*******

 

Five minutes and a loss of clothing later, Dan was panting lightly, his face completely flushed and his eyes closed tightly. Phil was working his lips down Dan’s neck, occasionally sucking bruises where they would be just barely out of sight under his work shirt. 

 

“S’this okay?” Phil asked quietly as he continued to move down Dan’s neck to his collarbone. 

 

“Yeah,” Dan breathed out, “yeah, it’s perfect, keep going.” 

 

Phil smiled and ducked back down. A minute later, Dan gasped, his back coming off the bed as he moaned. 

 

“Phil!”

**Author's Note:**

> is it good? is it bad? i dunno, but you're gonna keep reading anyway.


End file.
